March 06, 2019
Family Vacation to Orlando with Kids
Family vacation to the Orlando, Florida area with young children on a budget including visiting Disney’s Magic Kingdom, SeaWorld and the ocean!
We just got back from our first family trip to Florida! It was the kid’s first time on an airplane and they did so well (Adalyn- age 4 ½, Oliver- age almost 2). They were pumped to go on a plane for the first time and I couldn’t wait to show them the ocean, visit Disney World, visit Sea World and go on a plane for the first time. Lots of firsts on this trip!
We went for 5 days, 4 nights and I wish that I had done longer. We flew via Allegiant Airlines which was recommended to me as a less expensive airline and we flew out of Toledo, OH and saved a lot of money that way. They both loved watching the plane takeoff and Oliver slept on me most of the trip which was awesome.
We stayed at Tiki Liki Village- about 20-30 minutes from Disney and Sea World and despite some negative reviews of it, we really enjoyed it! It was a great resort with a huge room, full-kitchen, living area, balcony and water park.
It was perfect for our family and very affordable. I booked through Hotwire and got the hotel super cheap that way.
The first day, we went grocery shopping at ALDI to stock up on food for the week and played at the water park at the resort. We went to dinner at Sweet Tomatoes which I have heard about for years and totally fell in love with. It has a HUGE salad bar which is totally up my alley.
I loved the salad, sriracha udon noodle soup, crusty bread and strawberry lemonade!! We loved it so much that we visited twice. Troy was equally impressed and the kids made the biggest salads ever and enjoyed getting to choose their own toppings.
Since Adalyn is a huge fan of Disney princesses, we chose to visit Magic Kingdom at Disney World. It was so much fun! We got to meet several princesses including Merida, Ariel, Belle and Snow White and my kids were in heaven!!
We got to book fast passes for 5 rides through the day (we loved Ariel, Pirates of the Caribbean and Enchanted Tales with Belle especially). Troy and I were in awe of the Fantasy Parade and Adalyn was freaking out over all of the princesses.
It was truly a fairytale of a day! Disney was very crowded which I hear it always is which was my only complaint. We were surprised how much we were able to make it through and how many rides we went on though.
Oliver was able to go on all of the rides that we went on which is great because he is only almost 2 years old. We did bring all of our own food to save money and to eat healthier. We brought ingredients to make sandwiches, chips, sliced fruit, sliced veggies, cheese, nuts, bars and more. It was perfect!
The next day, we visited my grandparents that live there and visited the ocean. It was a great day and the kids loved seeing the ocean, jumping in the waves a bit, finding seashells and digging in the sand.
On our 4th day, we visited SeaWorld which was our favorite part of the trip. Adalyn got to ride her first big roller coaster and loved it. It was much less crowded than Disney which I appreciated and had the best rides and shows.
I totally teared up seeing the dolphin and whale shows because they were so amazing and beautiful. Everything was done well and the park had a great layout that we got to make it to everything and ride every single ride that we wanted to. I did some parts with just the kids while I sent Troy on the rollercoasters which had a max 10 minute wait. We loved that!
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| If you look close enough, you can see brave Adalyn on the roller coaster! |
They had great aquariums and Oliver was so happy to get to see sharks since he loves the song “Baby Shark”. I skipped the rollercoasters because I’m pregnant but was able to go on a couple of calmer rides. I loved the shows the most.
The aquariums were smaller but impressive and it was fun to show the kids aquatic animals that we don't normally get to see. We would definitely return.
We were able to try out the Mazda CX-9 during the trip and it was perfect for a family with a lot of gear. We were able to fit our kid’s two big car seats in the car and there was still plenty of room in the middle seat. The SUV has an optional third row which we had down for most of the trip and were able to fit our huge double stroller in, 2 large suitcases, 3 backpacks and groceries in. I was shocked at how much it fit.
The Mazda CX-9 was super luxurious with many safety features that we enjoyed using to drive our family safely around the state. The vehicle was large, safe and luxurious- we were riding in style all week for sure!
The last day, we just packed up and went to the pool which was a lot of fun and a great way to end a perfect trip!
It was a truly amazing trip to the Orlando, Florida area and of course, Troy and I are already planning our return. So many memories were made and we will never forget these special family times.
Sample tickets and car rental were provided for a couple of the attractions. All opinions are my own.
Thanks for the recommendations & money saving tips. My girls have been asking to go back to FL. Love your cute photos.
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